About railway train fares that are affordable for poor, and overcrowding; Rough comparison of cheapest train fares btw India & USA
I was recently passed on this Facebook video of a train supposedly in an Asian country (not India) that had people crowded on the roof of the train as well as in its front, https://www.facebook.com/NATIONALVIDEOTHEWORLD/videos/338739253563056/. I was asked whether I have seen such a thing in India.
My response was that I have not seen something like this myself in Bombay/Mumbai and surrounding areas, and in my many train travel visits to South India (mainly Puttaparthi) from Mumbai, and back.
However, I have seen some pics of such trains with people packed on the roof of the train, supposedly from some parts of North India (or perhaps East India as well). I think South India (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) and West(ern) part of India (states of Gujarat and Maharashtra) are far more well developed than other parts of India. So I would say that such sights are not seen, at least on a regular basis, in the above mentioned states of South and West India.
Note that I was a regular suburban train commuter in my Mumbai and Dombivli (city on outskirts of Mumbai) life for decades. Suburban trains are undoubtedly very crowded but not like the above mentioned video.
But unreserved compartments of long distance trains are terribly crowded. We Indian middle class guys rarely, if ever, travel in unreserved compartments of long distance trains.
In the conversation, there was a reference to train travel from Delhi to Madurai and back which was not crowded.
That would have been travel in "reserved" coaches or "sleeper" coaches which form most of the coaches of long-distance trains, and which is what middle class Indians like I travel in. They are NOT overcrowded. Sleeper class is typically NOT crowded as only those with reserved tickets are (supposed to be) allowed in and its regulated by on-board ticket conductors.
The unreserved coach(es) are normally just one or two, and its ticket price is the cheapest. These coaches in major routes like Delhi - Mumbai, and, I guess, Delhi - Madurai too, normally would be overcrowded. Essentially, only the very poor travel by unreserved coaches in major routes due to it being typically overcrowded.
I cannot think of a USA equivalent to give USA readers any idea about this. I think for people who are struggling for money, Greyhound buses or Amtrak trains (if they service that route) may be the cheapest option for long distance travel in the USA. But even those tickets would be something that the very poor in USA cannot afford. In India, the unreserved coach ticket fare would be far far cheaper than a Greyhound bus ticket.
https://indiarailinfo.com/train/farechart/fare-enquiry-tamil-nadu-sampark-kranti-express-12651/1613/790/748 gives the fare from Delhi (Hazrat Nizamuddin) to Madurai for Sleeper class as Rs. 860, whereas the Unreserved fare is Rs. 494. The distance is 2673 km.
How much does Greyhound bus charge in the USA for 2673 km. i.e. 1661 miles distance?
Boston to Miami is around 1500 miles.
Greyhound Boston to Miami minimum seems to be about 200 USD, https://locations.greyhound.com/bus-routes/destination/boston-ma/miami-fl
But train (Amtrak) if booked a few days in advance is only around USD 160, https://www.wanderu.com/en-us/train/us-ma/boston/us-fl/miami/
Rs. 494 is much more possible for the very poor in India to somehow arrange as against USD 160 being arranged by the very poor in USA, I think.
I think it is possible to offer Rs. 494 unreserved coach price to the very poor in India, only because of the subsidy provided by Railways for the very poor (and charging other ticket categories including luxury categories a much higher price). Without such subsidy, the very poor in India would simply **not be able** to travel in long-distance or even suburban trains in India.
I think this shows that for the poor in India, travel by govt. railways (lifeline of India) is much cheaper that it is for the poor in USA to travel, even if one factors in different wage levels between India and USA. I mean Rs. 500 is not as big an amount in India for the poor as USD 160 is, I think, for the poor in the USA.
My response was that I have not seen something like this myself in Bombay/Mumbai and surrounding areas, and in my many train travel visits to South India (mainly Puttaparthi) from Mumbai, and back.
However, I have seen some pics of such trains with people packed on the roof of the train, supposedly from some parts of North India (or perhaps East India as well). I think South India (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) and West(ern) part of India (states of Gujarat and Maharashtra) are far more well developed than other parts of India. So I would say that such sights are not seen, at least on a regular basis, in the above mentioned states of South and West India.
Note that I was a regular suburban train commuter in my Mumbai and Dombivli (city on outskirts of Mumbai) life for decades. Suburban trains are undoubtedly very crowded but not like the above mentioned video.
But unreserved compartments of long distance trains are terribly crowded. We Indian middle class guys rarely, if ever, travel in unreserved compartments of long distance trains.
In the conversation, there was a reference to train travel from Delhi to Madurai and back which was not crowded.
That would have been travel in "reserved" coaches or "sleeper" coaches which form most of the coaches of long-distance trains, and which is what middle class Indians like I travel in. They are NOT overcrowded. Sleeper class is typically NOT crowded as only those with reserved tickets are (supposed to be) allowed in and its regulated by on-board ticket conductors.
The unreserved coach(es) are normally just one or two, and its ticket price is the cheapest. These coaches in major routes like Delhi - Mumbai, and, I guess, Delhi - Madurai too, normally would be overcrowded. Essentially, only the very poor travel by unreserved coaches in major routes due to it being typically overcrowded.
I cannot think of a USA equivalent to give USA readers any idea about this. I think for people who are struggling for money, Greyhound buses or Amtrak trains (if they service that route) may be the cheapest option for long distance travel in the USA. But even those tickets would be something that the very poor in USA cannot afford. In India, the unreserved coach ticket fare would be far far cheaper than a Greyhound bus ticket.
https://indiarailinfo.com/train/farechart/fare-enquiry-tamil-nadu-sampark-kranti-express-12651/1613/790/748 gives the fare from Delhi (Hazrat Nizamuddin) to Madurai for Sleeper class as Rs. 860, whereas the Unreserved fare is Rs. 494. The distance is 2673 km.
How much does Greyhound bus charge in the USA for 2673 km. i.e. 1661 miles distance?
Boston to Miami is around 1500 miles.
Greyhound Boston to Miami minimum seems to be about 200 USD, https://locations.greyhound.com/bus-routes/destination/boston-ma/miami-fl
But train (Amtrak) if booked a few days in advance is only around USD 160, https://www.wanderu.com/en-us/train/us-ma/boston/us-fl/miami/
Rs. 494 is much more possible for the very poor in India to somehow arrange as against USD 160 being arranged by the very poor in USA, I think.
I think it is possible to offer Rs. 494 unreserved coach price to the very poor in India, only because of the subsidy provided by Railways for the very poor (and charging other ticket categories including luxury categories a much higher price). Without such subsidy, the very poor in India would simply **not be able** to travel in long-distance or even suburban trains in India.
I think this shows that for the poor in India, travel by govt. railways (lifeline of India) is much cheaper that it is for the poor in USA to travel, even if one factors in different wage levels between India and USA. I mean Rs. 500 is not as big an amount in India for the poor as USD 160 is, I think, for the poor in the USA.
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